Rod Stewart, glorious rocker of the 1970s, has “no desire” to retire

British singer Rod Stewart, who conquered the world with his hits Sailing or Da ya think I’m sexyhappily celebrates his 80th birthday on Friday January 10 and continues to thrill his fans with his harmoniously broken voice and his wild blonde hair. The artist, at the height of his glory in the 1970s and 1980s, will play at the end of June at the Glastonbury festival, in the southwest of England, where he was already the headliner in 2002. Before that, he will perform in Las Vegas at Caesars Palace.

In November, Rod Stewart announced his intention to stop the « major world tours » at the end of 2025, after his concerts in Europe and North America. But today, he seems to have changed his tune. « I have no desire to retire »wrote the star on Instagram. « I love what I do and I do what I love. I’m in good shape, I have a full head of hair and I can run 100 meters in 18 seconds »added the sacred monster, who is one of the artists who sold the most records in the world (250 million records and singles). The matter will not stop there since he released another album last year, Swing Fever, with pianist Jools Holland.

Music changes his life

Rod Stewart, who has enjoyed fame for more than half a century, has always believed in his lucky star. When he was born on January 10, 1945 in north London, he was greeted by an explosion, that of a German V2 missile. « I always thought I was very lucky because this bomb fell right next to my house »he said. He had a « fantastically happy childhood »in a modest family, football fan. Rod Stewart once thought of making a career in this sport. « Life as a musician is a lot easier and I can get drunk and make music, but I can’t do that and play football »he commented.

« One day I heard Sam Cooke singing Chain Gangand I got hooked »

Rod Stewart

His love for music dates back to 1959, when his father gave him a guitar. At 15, he joined a skiffle group, a very popular music in the United Kingdom. And at 16, he heard the sound that changed his life: « I went everywhere with a transistor radio stuck to my ear. One day I heard Sam Cooke singing Chain Gangand I got hooked ». He had just discovered soul music. Rod Stewart had his first musical experiences with a folk singer, Wizz Jones. They toured Europe, slept under Parisian bridges and sang for a few plays, until their expulsion from Spain for vagrancy.

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« The most unique voice in rock »

His career took off in 1967, when he joined the group founded by Jeff Beck. In 1969, Rod joined Faces, whose guitarist was Ronnie Wood, future Rolling Stones. By this time, he had already adopted his characteristic spiky mane. In the Seventies, he shaped his solo career in parallel with Faces, which disappeared in 1975. Stewart released Every picture tells a story (1971) with Maggie Mayhis first single to top the charts. The fourth album, Never a dull moment (1972), continues the momentum.

The hits follow one another with a cover of Sailingor even Tonight I’m yours, Baby Jane, Some guys have all the luck. He makes a hit with Da ya think I’m sexy (1978). Then came the time for covers of American classics, which gave new life to his career. « Rod probably has the most unique voice in rock. (…) You know it’s him as soon as his voice comes on the radio »praises Richard Houghton, who wrote a book about the group Faces.

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In 2016, Queen Elizabeth II awarded him a knighthood, allowing him to become “Sir Rod”. He made the headlines for his romantic adventures. Married three times, he had eight children. He married British model Penny Lancaster in 2007. His passions outside of music: model railways and luxury cars. Last year he complained about potholes on English roads which prevent him from driving his Ferraris. He was pictured in the newspapers, shovel in hand, trying to patch up some of them.

Rod Stewart – Da Ya Think I’m Sexy ? (1978)